


Souvenir

by TheRantDragon



Category: Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-31
Updated: 2019-01-31
Packaged: 2019-10-20 01:31:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 982
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17612891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheRantDragon/pseuds/TheRantDragon
Summary: “I didn’t forget, you know!” Wally blurts out in the very dim room after he puts the kit away. Artemis starts at his raised voice, and his cheeks flush a little for it; he rubs uncertainly at the back of his neck. “I uh, didn’t forget the bayou, ya'know?”





	Souvenir

**Author's Note:**

> I'm so creative at titles. This takes place at some random time after Revelation.

“Hey.”

The quiet, husky voice jolts Wally from his doze. His cheek slips off the palm of his hand. His goggles, covered in a fine layer of muck, are crooked, with one piece over an eye and the other on his forehead. He quickly adjusts them, tired emerald eyes flicking to the source of the interruption.

“ ‘Sup,” he murmurs back as his vision focuses on her de-cowled features. She looks just as weary, dark circles beneath eyes that shine with the last remnants of the night’s adrenaline.

The Bioship is a silent cocoon around them, everyone but himself and the archer in a tired stooper. Even Megan is lurching forward sleepily at the controls, but he suspects the ship knows it’s way home by now.

The soft blue glow had lulled them all into a lethargic state after their all-nighter mission; Wally could think of nothing but his big, soft bed.

“I just, you know, forgot to ask,” Artemis whispers, the heel of one of her boots scuffing the floor; she won’t meet his eyes directly. “If you were okay. Back in the jungle.”

Wally blinks. She’s covered from head to toe in mud, loam, and quicksand (he was too; it was a long, embarrassing story) and she looks so alive in the caressing lights of the ship.

He musters up a grin. “Who me? I’m always okay, see?”

Wally wiggles the ankle he had sprained in the heat of battle, and immediately wishes he hadn’t; a twist of pain catches him off guard, making him suck in a breath.

Artemis tutts at him. “You were saying, Kid Clutz?”

“Hey, it’s fine, it’s fine! I heal fast, or haven’t you heard that’s one of my  _many_ talents?” He wiggles his eyebrows at her, hoping to impress, but as usual she’s immune to it all.

It’s as she turns away in her seat that he notices something off. She has one of her arms cradled in the other, hasn’t moved it at all since she initiated conversation with him.

“Hey,” he whisper yells; Dick yawns in his sleep and Conner snores loudly.

Artemis turns back to him, careful to keep her arm out of his sight much as she had done before. Wally’s not falling for it though.

“What?”

“Your arm, you’re holding it.” She scrunches her nose up at him, and lifts it up so he can see it. She bends it at the elbow easily several times with her gray eyes confident.

“It’s fine, I just sit like that sometimes.”

Einstein, was she a bad liar.

“Move your wrist, then,” Wally demands, standing up and striding with easy steps to her chair. She looks up at him haughtily, and flexes it. She yells out in pain at the smallest movement, and clutches her arm to her abdomen.

“ _Artemis_ ,” he threatens, worry rising up in his chest for her. How had he missed her wrist being hurt in the jungle? He’s mentally kicking himself for it while she’s insisting through clenched teeth that it’s barely an issue. “Come with me,” the speedster firmly insists, grabbing her good wrist and hauling her up; she hisses out mild curses as he pulls her to the back part of the Bioship where they keep emergency medical supplies.

“Wally, really, it’s  _fine_ ,” Artemis repeats a moment later while she’s leaning against the wall and he’s pulling an ice pack out of the kit. He mashes it with gloved fingers until it’s good and cold, then hands it to her with conviction.

Artemis sighs and takes it, pressing the pouch against her injury, letting the material of her muddy glove serve as a barrier.

“Ah, okay, that’s definitely nice,” she admits, slumping against the wall.

“I didn’t forget, you know!” Wally blurts out in the very dim room after he puts the kit away. Artemis starts at his raised voice, and his cheeks flush a little for it; he rubs uncertainly at the back of his neck. “I uh, didn’t forget the bayou, ya'know?”

“…oh,” Artemis murmurs, looking aside, and maybe he’s just imagining things but her cheeks seem darker in the shadows. “It wasn’t a big deal.”

“It was,” Wally affirms, moving a little closer to her; he doesn’t feel so tired anymore. Instead he feels a burning need to say these things to her. “It was a big deal to me. I mean, that souvenir, it was just  _good_  at first. A piece of Count Vertigo’s cape, how rad! But when you made that sling for me?… Then it was…” Wally paused, searching for the right word. When he could think of nothing, he just smiled sheepishly and shrugged his shoulders. “Well, it was a lot better.”

Artemis just watched him levelly, her face betraying nothing. Wally took a few steps closer, effectively closing the gap between them; there was maybe a foot separating them now.

“Today you noticed my goof-up and kind of looked out for me when I was down with my ankle. And, uh, I was just thinking now about how I didn’t snag a souvenir for this mission,” he prattled on, his throat feeling thick as he watched her long lashes flutter open and close over those intense slate eyes of hers. “So, I was maybe thinking–”

Artemis leaned forward and pressed her plump, warm lips to one freckled cheek. His eyes widened in surprise, his whole face heating up when their soft caress lingered for several seconds before she pulled away. A smirk formed on her features.

Then, she brought the cold packet to her mouth, pressed her lips to it for a second. She opened his hand up and pushed the freezing pouch into his palm.

“Souvenir,” she insisted quietly, and turned and walked back to the front of the ship without another word.

Wally stared after her, lips parted, his fingers curling around the pouch like a vice.


End file.
